New research by ForwardKeys, a travel analytics firm, has shown that the Dominican Republic is seeing an uptick in travellers. These new numbers suggest that the nation is recovering from the damages caused to tourism because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The Dominican Republic is seeing a higher rate of returning visitors

Official data by the firm shows that the Dominican Republic’s international tourism, which dropped by more than 90 percent in July 2020 compared to the same time the previous year, has now risen back to 36.3 percent down year-over-year. This 55 percent gain is remarkable given the present circumstances. Further, the Dominican Republic has a much higher rate of returning visitors as compared to other Caribbean countries. 

“The Dominican Republic is a really good example of how governments should be handling this current Covid-19 crisis,” Olivier Ponti, VP of Insights at ForwardKeys, said in a statement. “The other important point worth mentioning is keeping your borders open. Just like Mexico and other destinations in the Caribbean, intra-regional travel greatly benefitted from travelers keen to escape the U.S.”

The top three destinations from where travellers were flying to the nation were New York, Miami and Boston. The data has also shown that many of the visitors were either single or travelling solo. “There are a few reasons why the Dominican Republic appeals to single travelers. Firstly, single travelers tend to engage in more activities, so they are attracted by the hiking, kayaking, surfing, wildlife and birdwatching that are in such abundance in the destination,” says David Collado, Minister of Tourism of the Dominican Republic.

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